H. Hobbs. Sculptor. Wood carver. Barrie, Ontario. Active late 20th century.

H. Hobbs is known for his carved impressions of Canada’s wild birds. They are  well carved and painted in bright, glossy ‘as found’ colours and they are made with wire feet. They are usually signed and dated on the base. There is no other information available yet on this artist. Some examples are shown below.

A group of carved Birds signed: H. Hobbs. Barrie:

H. Hobbs. A group of carved birds.

H. Hobbs mark:

H. Hobbs. His mark.

Willis Paul. Sculptor. Wood carver. Chesterville, Ontario. Active mid 20th century.

Willis Paul. The mark seen on a wood carving of a hunter and his dog. The carving is highly varnished with some colour on his rifle and the quarry. The mark is seen on the base of the carving which dates from the 1970’s. (See the photos below.)

Willis Paul. Carving of a Hunter:

Willis Paul. Chesterville, Ontario. Wood carving of a hunter.

Willis Paul. His mark:

Willis Paul. Chesterville, Ontario. His mark.

Crawford Slack. Painter. Athens, Ontario. Active late 19th-early 20th century.

Born in Wilsetown near Athens Ontario, Crawford Slack was self-taught and multi-talented. He wrote poetry (in the vernacular of rural Ontario), music and was also a musician himself. He worked as a carriage painter in Westport, Ontario, Montreal, Brockville, Ontario and eventually opened his own shop in Athens in 1913.

He painted the landscapes and pastoral scenes of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec and became an accomplished artist. His work can be found in collections in the Brockville – Kingston – Athens area and is becoming very much sought after in elsewhere in Canada and the U.S.

Referred to as “a Renaissence Man” by a biographer *Crawford Slack was known as mindful and generous. He often gave his work away or traded it for goods or services.  (It should be noted that some biographers give his dates as 1855-1927.)

*A link to a Biography of the artist by Sally Smid:

http://livingherebrockville.weebly.com/uploads/3/7/4/7/37475311/sally_smid_-_crawford_slack_-_renaissance_man_-_september_october_2015.pdf

Shown below is a view of the Richelieu Valley titled “Along the Richelieu”. Signed and dated 1903:

Crawford Slack. Athens, Ont., (1855-1929) ‘Along the Richelieu’ Oil on Board. Signed.

Abe Patterson. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Pembroke, Ontario. Active early to mid 20th century.
   Abe Patterson made carvings of farm animals and animals from the wild; especially Moose and Deer. He also made objects (such as ink wells and other household items) decorated with animals as well as models of buildings and Totem poles; some very large and colored (an example of one was some 35 feet long). He achieved an international reputation in the 1930’s which continued into the 1960’s; sending carvings around North America and Europe. He carved ‘in the round’ and often in a single piece of wood. Wood from trees that he harvested himself.

An example of Abe Patterson’s work. An ink-well with a carved Sheep:

Abe Patterson. Pembroke, Ont. 1899-1969. Ink well with a carved Big Horn Sheep. Signed. 1930’s.

He was followed in his art by his son Pat Patterson also of Pembroke, Ontario.

Exerpt from “History of The Corporation of Westmeath Township” (1984) by Evelyn Moore Price:

“A student who had his roots in Westmeath township and attended S.S. No. 9, Westmeath, was Abe Patterson, who went forward to become internationally famous as Pembroke’s wood carver. Born in this section of Greenwood, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Patterson After moving to Pembroke, this native son of Greenwood worked at his hobby of wood carving during the summer months at the rockcut at Meath near the bridge, made when Highway 17 was reconstructed and rerouted at Meath to avoid the excessively steep grade on the old road from Meath station. Many tourists seeing him working there near his small parked truck, would stop to converse -observe – or purchase.” 

D. Lebold. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Ontario (?) Active mid-late 20th century.

No other information about this artist is available as yet.

Shown here is a painted carving of a Fox out hunting. It is mounted on a branch and signed on the base: ‘D. Lebold’:

D. Lebold. Carving of a Red Fox. Signed.

The mark on the base:

D. Lebold. Carving of a Red Fox. Signed. Detail of mark.